New travel rules bringing more uncertainty to Regina, Saskatoon airports

International travel got a little more complicated this week.

With the Omicron COVID-19 variant continuing its spread across the globe, the Canadian government has updated travel rules as its latest strategy to curb the spread in Canada.

Last week, Ottawa announced people arriving internationally by plane — except those coming in from the United States — must take a COVID-19 test once they land.

Starting Monday, Canadians and all other foreign visitors who travel to the U.S. by air will need to get a COVID-19 test no later than one day before their departure.

That replaced the previous three-day testing window.

Earl Spencer, vice-president of operations and safety with the Regina Airport Authority, still has questions that need answering.

“Here’s what we don’t know from the federal government yet: Where that test is going to be administered,” he said. “Is it going to be administered at the airport or are they going to give the passengers take-home test kits?”

Spencer said the start date of when those tests need to be implemented is also not finalized.

This latest change leaves travel restrictions up in the air as Saskatchewan’s two biggest airports prepare for the first international arrivals since March 2020.

The Saskatoon airport’s first international flight in nearly two years is set to depart on Thursday. The first arrival is scheduled for next Monday.

Regina’s first international arrival is expected to land Dec. 17.

Spencer worries space constraints and long wait times could bog down the airport, with dozens of passengers waiting for tests and tests results, should Ottawa require testing be done on site at airports.

“We need the information and then we can be ready to go,” Spencer said. “It’s crystal clear from our perspective (that) take-home tests are the way to go.”

CJ Dushinski, the Saskatoon Airport Authority’s vice-president of business development and service quality, said these changes with almost no notice and very little information, let alone time to implement them, is all part of life at an airport since COVID-19 arrived.

“It is a little disheartening I guess when we kind of feel like we’ve got some normalcy and some consistency happening … but I think we’re just, at this point, used to changes,” she said.

Dushinski echoed Spencer’s sentiment, preferring take-home tests over any other option.

Transport Canada, the Public Health Agency of Canada and other federal regulatory agencies have yet to weigh in on the matter and provide some level of assurance before either airport sees its first international plane arrive.

“We’re ready to handle it, whatever comes, but we’re anxiously awaiting that information,” she said.

Either way, Spencer and Dushinski are warning any passengers coming back to Canada to prepare for wait times and unique delays.

In March 2020, the federal government limited international arrivals and departures to four airports in Canada. Even with the recent changes, Dushinksi was pleased to see international status expanded to include Regina and Saskatoon this month.

“That was certainly a really celebratory moment for us and our team and everyone here at the airport. We felt like we were starting to kind of see a glimmer of hope on the horizon,” Dushinski said.

International flights may have left Saskatchewan’s airports for much of the past two years, but with newly announced rules yet to be finalized, uncertainty is once again proving to be a constant in the industry.